Fastening apparatus



April 1957 J. R. PULTZ 3,313,564

FASTENING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 18, 1964 INVENTOR JA CK R. PUL TZ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,313,564 FASTENING APPARATUS Jack R. Pultz, Shorewood, Minn., assignor to Honeywell Inc, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 412,156 3 Claims. (Cl. 29287) This invention is concerned with fastening means and more particularly with a spring clip device capable of fastening a lid to a box by projecting through an aperture in the lid.

Numerous fastening devices, comprising spring clips, are known in the art. There are clips that give a positive holding force, clips that provide a rattle free assembly and clips that will align a lid with a box. Many of the clips perform only one of these functions, and perhaps may perform two of these functions. It is the purpose of this invention to provide a unitary spring clip that will perform all three functions. It will provide a firm, positive holding force, not prone to accidental opening. It will provide through its firm holding a rattle free assembly. It will align a lid with a box, and will do so with a comparatively loose tolerance between mating parts.

The clip of this invention comprises a flat plate made of a yieldable material. A rear portion of the plate is raised above the plane of the plate and contains holes for mounting to a box. A front portion of the plate is rounded and bent down with respect to the plane of the plate, to provide a means of alignment. Directly behind the front portion of the plate are a pair of vertical projections, or barbs, having a substantially triangular shape. The barbs extend substantially perpendicular to the plane of the plate and have a fiat edge facing the rear portion.

of the plate. An arm is struck upwardly from the plate and is integral with the plate at a point between the rear portion and the back edges of the barb. The arm performs three functions: it will perform a firm holding function by grasping the lid between itself and the back edges of the barbs, it will provide a guide for leading the lid to the proper position between the arm and the back edges, and it will perform as an actuating device for releasing the lid when a downward pressure is placed on the arm.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a unitary fastening means capable of collectively and individually performing the functions of a positive holding force, a rattle free assembly, and alignment of a lid to a box.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a spring clip for fastening a lid having an aperture to a box by passing through the aperture and firmly holding the lid between a pair of barbs on the clip and yieldably mounted arm on the clip.

It is another object of this invention to provide a spring clip for fastening a lid having an aperture to a box, which spring clip has a pair of barbs and a yieldably mounted arm, which is capable of firmly holding the lid between itself and back edges on the barb, of guiding the lid to the proper position between itself and the back edges of the barb, and of releasing the lid by depressing the spring clip when a downward pressure appears on the arm.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the accompanying claims, specification and drawings of which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the spring clip of this invention,

FIGURE 2 is a side View of the clip of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a drawing intended to show the use of this embodiment of the clip under normal conditions,

FIGURE 4 is a drawing showing how the clip of this 3,313,554 Patented Apr. 11, 1967 embodiment may be used to overcome abnormal conditions,

FIGURE 5 is a drawing showing the clip of this embodiment in a normal actuated or locked condition, and

FIGURE 6 is a drawing representing the clip in position with a box, and a hinged lid having an aperture at the unhinged end, which represents a preferred use of the clip.

In FIGURE 1 there is disclosed a fastening means for spring clip 10. A rear portion 11 of the clip is offset from the main plane of the clip to facilitate fastening to an inner wall in a box, such as the box 21 of FIGURE 6. A pair of holes 15 are placed in the rear portion 11 also to facilitate fastening to the box 21. A front portion 12 of the clip is shown as having a rounded nose and being downwardly bent with respect to the normal plane of the clip 10. A pair of lateral projections or barbs 13 are upwardly bent from the normal plane of clip 10, and are in the shape of a triangle having a substantially perpendicular rear edge. An arm 14 has been upwardly struck from the clip 10 and is integral with the clip 10 at a point between the rear edges of the barbs 13 and rear portion 11.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the clip 10 showing an angle 17 which is the angle formed between clip 10 and arm 14. There is also shown in FIGURE 2 a distance '18 which is the distance between the rear edges of barbs 13 and the point at which arm 14 is integral with clip 10.

FIGURE 6 shows the clip 10 fastened to the inner hole of the box 21 by a pair of fastening devices here shown as rivets 16. A lid or cover 22 is connected at one end to box 21 by a hinge 24. At the other end of lid 22 there is an aperture 23, through which a portion of clip 10 is intended to pass.

The operation of the clip 10, in holding the lid 22 to the box 21, may be best described by reference to FIG- URES 3, 4 and 5. FIGURE 3 represents the operation of the clip 10 under normal conditions, that is, when the aperture 23 is properly aligned. Under normal conditions as the lid 22 swings closed on hinge 24 the upper portion of the aperture 23 will first strike along the front portion 12 of clip 19. This front portion will therefore serve to laterally align the cover 22 and cause the barbs 13 to be guided into the aperture 23. As the upper edge of the aperture 23 rides along first the front portion 12 and then the ramp of the barbs 13, it will cause the clip Iii to be deflected downward as shown in FIGURE 3. When the barbs 13 have progressed a predetermined distance into the aperture 23, the lid 22 will strike the arm 14 and deflect it in a backward direction. After another small motion the barbs 13 will pass through the aperture 23, and the resiliency of the clip It will cause the clip to attempt to return to its original position. This will result in the rear edges of the barbs 13 rising along the inside wall of the lid 22 until the clip 10 strikes the upper edges of aperture 23, as may be seen by reference to FIGURE 5. Further reference to FIGURE 5 reveals that the lid and 'box are now in a closed position, that the arm 14 has been deflected by the lid 22, and due to its resilience is firmly grasping the lid 22 between the arm 14 and the rear edges of the barbs 13.

FIGURE 4 shows the operation of the clip of this invention in a situation where the lid 22, box 21, or hinge 24 have been mistreated or otherwise efl'ected such that when lid 22 swings closed on hinge 24 the aperture 23 will strike neither front portion 12 nor the ramp portion of barbs 13. In this situation the first contact made is by an outer wall of lid 22 against the inclined arm 14. As the lid 22 is forced closed against the arm 14, it will cause the inclined arm 14 to ride upward and pull the deflectable clip 10 upward. When the clip 10 has been deflected upward sufiiciently to cause barbs 13 to engage the upper portion of aperture 23, arm 14, will also begin to deflect backwards. When the barbs 13 have passed through the aperture 23 the deflected arm 14 and the sliding action of the lid 22 along the incline of arm d4 will cause the rear edges of barbs 13 to be pulled up along the inner wall of lid 22 until the clip 10 again strikes the upper edge of aperture 23. It will be noted that this brings us exactly to the same closed and locked configuration shown in FIGURE 5.

It will be apparent from the discusion of FIGURES 3 and 4, that for proper operation of this clip the incline of arm 14, that is, the angle 17 as shown in FIGURE 2, and the distance between the rear edges of the barbs 13 and the arm 14, also shown in FIGURE 2 as distance 18, are both critical. That is, there is a particular angle 17 combined with a particular distance 18 which Will cause the best operation of this invention when used with a lid 22 of a known dimension.

It has been found that for a lid approximately 0.05 inches thick and having a rounded leading edge, the best combination of angle 17 and distance 18 are, respectively, 65 and 0.79 inch.

The invention of this application has been built with the preceding dimensions and applied to the closure of an actual lid on an oil burner primary box. The spring clip of this invention proved to work substantially as described in this specification in performing the triple function of a positive holding force, provision of a rattle free assembly, and alignment of the lid with the box.

It will be ovious that the general principles herein disclosed may be embodied in many forms other than that specifically illustrated without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fastener comprising:

a member having a front portion, a rear portion, and a resilient intermediate portion interconnecting said front and rear portions,

barb means on said intermediate portion extending in a direction away from said intermediate portion, said barb means having a fastening edge which faces the rear portion of said member,

and actuating means comprising a resilient elongated tab having an end fixed to said intermediate portion at a point between the fastening edge of said barb means and the rear portion of said member, having a fastening portion extending in said direction away from said intermediate portion and inclined toward the fastening edge of said barb means, and having a free end extending in said direction away from said intermediate portion and inclined away from the fastening edge of said barb means.

2. A fastener as defined in claim 1 wherein said barb means is a substantially triangular projection with said fastening edge formed as a surface which is substantially normal to said intermediate portion.

3. A fastener as defined in claim 1 wherein said member is a resilient plate, the intermediate portion of which includes side edges; and wherein said barb means is a pair of triangular projections, one on each of said side edges, the fastening edge of each projection being formed on a surface which is substantially nonmal to said intermediate portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 417,619 12/1889 Woodard 29287 729,288 5/1903 Day 292 1,244,683 10/1917 Ambruster 29287 1,600,497 9/1926 l/Vheeler 292-87 3,104,903 9/1963 Futch et al 292-87 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Examiner.

Jr R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FASTENER COMPRISING: A MEMBER HAVING A FRONT PORTION, A REAR PORTION, AND A RESILIENT INTERMEDIATE PORTION INTERCONNECTING SAID FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS, BARB MEANS ON SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION, SAID BARB MEANS HAVING A FASTENING EDGE WHICH FACES THE REAR PORTION OF SAID MEMBER, AND ACTUATING MEANS COMPRISING A RESILIENT ELONGATED TAB HAVING AN END FIXED TO SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION AT A POINT BETWEEN THE FASTENING EDGE OF SAID BARB 